This is what made doctors wash their hands

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.

Photos:This is what made doctors wash their hands

As part of a hand-washing study at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, hospital staff members were shown images of bacteria found on common surfaces. Mold was found on a nurse station computer mouse, and two types of bacteria were identified.

Hide Caption

1 of 5

Photos:This is what made doctors wash their hands

Three types of bacteria were found on a utility doorknob. One of the species, Streptococcus, is responsible for various types of infections including strep throat.

Hide Caption

2 of 5

Photos:This is what made doctors wash their hands

Four types of bacteria were found on the ultrasound machine.

Hide Caption

3 of 5

Photos:This is what made doctors wash their hands

Staphylococcus species were found on one health-care worker's mobile phone. This species can sometimes lead to serious infections, such as pneumonia. Three other types of bacteria were also identified on the phone's surface.

Hide Caption

4 of 5

Photos:This is what made doctors wash their hands

Five types of bacteria were found on one health-care worker's hand. One species, Bacillus, can cause illnesses with diarrhea and vomiting.

Hide Caption

5 of 5

Story highlights

Hospital staff members were shown images of bacteria from common surfaces

After seeing the images, every unit experienced at least an 11% increase in hand-washing

(CNN)Many health-care workers do not wash their hands nearly as often as they should, but one Detroit hospital may have found a way to improve hand hygiene. The infection team at the Henry Ford Health System found that hand-washing rates improved after hospital staff members were shown images of millions of bacteria found on common surfaces.

According to a study of the effort, the images showed bacterial growth on items like unused gloves, doorknobs, a nurse station mouse, health-care workers' hands, a mobile phone and an ultrasound machine.

"Hand hygiene is one of the most important ways to prevent the spread of infection, and yet it can be one of the most difficult benchmarks to improve," said Susan Dolan, president of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. The study is being presented at the association's annual conference.

Inspired by a 2014 study that found emotional motivators more effective than traditional messaging, this study aimed to evoke the feeling of disgust in health-care personnel. The images were tested multiple times over two months in four hospital units with the lowest rates of hand hygiene compliance.

Join the conversation

See the latest news and share your comments with CNN Health on Facebook and Twitter.

After the images were shared, observations showed that every unit experienced at least an 11% increase in hand-washing, and one unit improved by nearly 50%.

Read More

Health-care providers practice hand hygiene less than half as much as they should, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Proper hand-washing helps reduce the spread of infections, such as the common cold, and helps battle the rise in antibiotic resistance.

"Hospital staff wanted to wash their hands after looking at the book and picturing similar contamination on their own skin," said Ashley Gregory, an infection prevention specialist who co-led the project.